Romancing the Enemy
by Scutter
Summary: Darien is injured in a horrific motorcycle accident. Help comes from unexpected places, and this time is no different.. WAFFy fic. Final chapter now uploaded.
1. Prologue

Romancing the Enemy  
By Scutter  
scutter1200@hotmail.com  
  
None of these characters are mine. They belong to whatever individuals/ companies own or made Sailor Moon.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Prologue  
  
Serena stepped out her front door and sighed in contentment. The air  
was cool with the first touches of autumn, but the sky was clear, and  
the sun warm. Perfect weather. Smiling to herself, Serena set out for  
the arcade. She was meeting Lita there - they were going shopping for  
Ami's birthday - and with any luck, they could see Andrew before they  
went.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Darien stared blankly at the wall of the arcade. The tree outside the  
window blew gently in the breeze and dappled light reflected off the  
wall. But, despite how intently he was staring, it wasn't the wall he  
was seeing. He was seeing *her*.  
  
The mysterious woman from his dreams, that plagued him every night. Was  
"plagued" the right word for a dream he looked forward to with such  
longing? Though he always woke confused, and sometimes a little scared,  
he had to admit he enjoyed the dreams. It was comforting, and the  
woman's voice always left him calm. But who was she? If only he could  
see her face.  
  
Suddenly, his silent contemplation was broken. "Ow!" Darien leapt off  
his stool, turning in surprise to see Andrew, who had just poked him  
hard in the ribs. "What was that for?"  
  
Andrew grinned. "I've been trying to get your attention for a full five  
minutes. Where on Earth were you?"  
  
Darien frowned. "Huh? Nowhere."  
  
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't be thinking about a girl,  
would you?"  
  
"Who me? As if!"  
  
"Well, from that dopey expression you had, it sure looked like it to  
me."  
  
Darien gave his friend a fed up look, but before he could come up with  
a decent come-back, a motion in the doorway caught his eye. Serena?  
Wasn't it a little early for her to be up?  
  
He sidled up to her, devious teasing already forming in his mind, but  
before he could open his mouth, Serena turned to him and held up her  
hand. "Not today, Darien. I'm just not interested."  
  
"Eah! Someone got up on the wrong side of bed!"  
  
Serena turned to him with a dazzling smile. "I'm in a perfectly good  
mood, and I don't need you ruining it for me. So I don't want to talk  
to you, that's all."  
  
Darien held up his hands defensively. "Fine. Whatever," he muttered to  
himself, as she walked away.  
  
Andrew appeared beside Darien again. "What's gotten into her today?"  
Darien shrugged. "Maybe she finally learnt to stand up for herself."  
Andrew didn't get any further than a reproachful "Hey!" before Darien  
interrupted with "I'm just joking. Don't spaz out on me, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Hey, listen," he said, as he saw Lita come in the doors.  
"I'm gonna go talk to the two "love scouts". Catch ya later, Dare."  
  
"See ya," he replied, then added "Have fun!" Darien laughed to himself  
as he watched Serena and Lita's eyes light up at Andrew, then he looked  
at his watch. Oops, better get a move on he thought, and grabbed his  
jacket on his way out the door.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Serena glanced at the clock over Andrew's shoulder. Ooh, only five  
minutes until the mall opens.  
  
"Hey, Lita. Let's get going. The mall opens soon." As much as she loved  
spending time with Andrew, shopping came a close second, and Serena  
getting impatient.  
  
Lita grinned. "Okay, let's go! 'Mission Shop-til-ya-Drop' is now in  
operation!"  
  
Andrew couldn't hide his laughter as the two girls raced for the door.  
He liked them a lot, but they were still just kids underneath. Still,  
they were a lot of fun. He kept smiling as he went back to work.  
  
Out on the street, Serena started chattering non-stop. "What can we get  
for Ami? She keeps saying she wants a new calculator, you know, with  
the programmable memory, but I think we should get her something a  
little more fun, like, I don't know, maybe a Cd? She said she liked  
that new group, what were they called, the Blue Knights? The Blue  
Rockets? I can't remember. Anyway, if we can't do that, maybe a new  
clock for her bedroom, remember she said the old one was getting old.  
Hey," She stopped suddenly. "What's that? Sirens? Come on, Lita! Let's  
go see!" she cried, racing for the corner.  
  
Skidding to a halt, the two girls looked up the street. They couldn't  
see anything at first, but then, in the distance, a screech of burning  
rubber highlighted the blue Saab, careening wildly down the road, with  
a police car close behind. From the speed it was travelling, it was  
clear it had no intention of stopping, even when the traffic lights  
turned from green to amber, then to red.  
  
"Wow, what a chase," Serena breathed softly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Glancing at the traffic lights again, Darien saw them turn from red to  
green, and released the brake on his motorbike, speeding up towards the  
intersection. Through the padding on his helmet, he didn't hear the  
sirens until they were quite close, and, instinctively, he slowed a  
little. But the police car was still a way up the street. Thinking he  
had time, he let the brakes off, and entered the intersection.  
Then, he saw the saab.  
  
Instinct took over as Darien slammed on the brakes. The wheels  
screeched, locked and skidded. He wrenched the bike to the side -  
anything to keep it out of the car's path. But the inertia of the bike  
worked resolutely against him. The saab slammed into the front wheel,  
going at least 80 miles an hour, spinning the bike like a toy. Darien  
hit the side of the car like a paper doll. The saab was still moving,  
and was out of the way then, but the bike also kept going, and Darien  
went down with it. He never knew when he hit the ground. The world was  
already black.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Serena stared in horror as the rider of the motorcycle flew off, onto  
the road. He wasn't the only thing to be hit - several other cars were  
damaged before the saab sped off again, but Serena had eyes only for  
the bike.  
  
Then, as she recognised the number plate on the vehicle, her world  
collapsed.  
  
"Darien! No! DARIEN!"  
  
When asked later, Serena would never remember rushing onto the street,  
heedless of the cars and chaos around her. She couldn't have even said  
*why* she was running.   
  
Knowing she was doing the wrong thing, knowing she could hurt him even  
more, Serena undid the strap on his helmet and pulled it off as gently  
as she could. She recalled with sudden clarity the CRP lessons she'd  
had at school, and immediately checked for a pulse.  
  
It took her a good 15 seconds to find one, but when she did, her heart  
skipped a beat.  
  
Okay, what next? Is he breathing?  
  
Leaning her cheek close to his mouth, Serena couldn't feel anything.  
Automatically, she tilted his head back, hoping he didn't have neck  
injuries, and opened his mouth, beginning to breath into his lungs for  
him. She knew she was probably breathing too fast, but her own pulse  
was racing, and she couldn't even consider slowing down.  
  
Dimly, she was aware of someone else hovering over him, of the coppery  
smell of blood, and faint words in the back of her mind. "He's bleeding  
. . . too much . . . ambulance coming . . .". The first thing she heard  
with clarity though, was the wail of a siren. She didn't pay it any  
heed, though. Two words echoed through her mind as she continued to  
breath life into someone else's lungs. Don't die don't die don't die  
don't die. Oh please God, don't die, Darien.  
  
Then, suddenly, she couldn't breath any more. His throat locked, and  
Darien tried to struggle against her. She lifted her mouth, and,  
keeping his head back, listened with elation as he took a shuddering,  
cracking breath.  
  
Serena found herself being brushed aside then, as two paramedics came  
and took over from her. She felt a hand on her arm, and another  
paramedic - or perhaps she was a policewoman - it didn't really matter  
to Serena - came and led her to the side.  
  
"Well done, miss. Well done. Were you here from the beginning?"  
Serena nodded distractedly, craning her neck to try and see Darien.  
"Did you see how it happened?"  
  
"What? Yeah. Is he gonna be okay?"  
  
The woman didn't reply. That clinched it. For the first time in the  
whole incident, Serena's nerve cracked, and she began to sob  
incoherently.  
  
The woman gathered Serena into her arms, holding her tightly until the  
girl pulled roughly away, turning back to see Darien.  
  
She's so young the woman thought, pity for the girl filling her. Too  
young to see things like this.  
  
Serena watched mutely as Darien was lifted onto a stretcher, and loaded  
into the ambulance. The doors shut behind him with a deathly thud of  
finality.  
  
"You knew him, did you?" It was an innocent question, but it filled  
Serena with a cold rage.  
  
She glared at the woman, looking straight at her for the first time.  
"I *know* him," she said defiantly, through her tears, which were still  
streaming down her cheeks though she failed to notice.  
  



	2. Chapter 1

Romancing the Enemy  
By Scutter  
scutter1200@hotmail.com  
  
  
None of these characters are mine. They belong to whatever individuals/ companies own or made Sailor Moon.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 1  
  
The familiar light of her porch was like a gift from Heaven to Serena.  
It was late. After hours of filling out reports, and making statements,  
she had finally been allowed to leave, her parents playing no small  
part in that decision. Lita, too, had had a rough day, and everyone  
seemed tense and silent.  
  
Entering her front door, Serena said a quick good night to her parents,  
then stumbled wearily up the stairs to her room. She had expected to  
feel relief, coming back here finally, but instead, she felt a kind of  
dread. Her room looked . . . normal. The last time she had been here  
was this morning. Before she went shopping. Before she saw Andrew.  
Before . . . Serena fell onto her bed, sobbing. They had been cagey at  
the hospital, refusing to release reports on how he was doing, or even  
whether he was still alive.  
  
It's so unfair she screamed silently to herself. Her mind was a  
jumble of emotions and confusion, she was sure she would never sleep  
tonight. But instead, her mind worked in her favour for once, simply  
refusing to deal with the overload of information, and a few minutes  
later, it simply shut down. Still clothed, with tear stains still on  
her cheeks, in the comforting presence of a shaft of moonlight, Serena  
slept.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A pale mist seemed to rise out of the ground, enveloping his equally  
white body as he moved. The castle was ahead, its blurred turrets as  
tall and strong as ever. He looked up the walls, finding the wide  
balcony at the top with ease. His Princess should be there. She was  
always there. He listened for her voice, but instead, heard only  
silence.  
  
Princess? Have you forgotten me?  
  
The mist swirled around him, blurring his vision. Was she there? Was  
she standing, hidden in the shadows of the mist? Was she there?!  
"Princess!" He tried to cry out, but the mist swallowed the sound, and  
he was left only with silence.  
  
Cradled in the depths of a coma, Darien moaned.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Turning on the tap fully, Serena actually stuck her face under the  
running water, allowing its stark coldness to seep into her mind. She  
had woken only moments ago, but, finding herself still clothed, and  
very uncomfortable, she knew that the nightmares had been no mere dream.  
Darien was . . .  
  
Serena shook the water out of her eyes and buried her face in a towel.  
She was determined to get down to the hospital as soon as possible this  
morning, but visitors weren't allowed in until 9:00. Still, she could  
be there on the dot. She checked her watch. 7:47.  
  
If I hurry, I could drop by the arcade on the way and see Andrew.  
Maybe he knows how Darien is doing.  
  
Then she reconsidered. Would he even be working today? After all, he  
and Darien were pretty close. Maybe he would already be at the hospital.  
Still, it was worth checking. Nodding to herself, Serena quickly threw  
on a pair of jeans and sweater, brushed her hair, and twisted it into  
her 'meatballs' and raced down the stairs.  
  
"I'm going to the hospital, Mom! I'll be back this afternoon."  
Her mother stuck her head around the door of the kitchen. "Serena? Wait  
a second, young lady."  
  
Serena skidded to a halt.  
  
"Aren't you going to have any breakfast?"  
  
Serena grimaced. "Mom, I really don't want any food right now, okay?"  
  
Her mother frowned. "What it is about this Darien boy anyway? I thought  
you couldn't stand him? Why are you spending the whole day at the  
hospital all of a sudden?"  
  
Serena's jaw dropped. "Mom! He was hit by a car! Just because he teases  
me doesn't mean I don't care about him."  
  
Parents. They just don't understand. she thought as she ran out the  
door.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Down at the arcade, Andrew leant on his broom, staring idly out the  
window. Who would have imagined it. Serena saved his life. Serena of  
all people!  
  
That's what they had said at the hospital last night. It had been very  
late when he had come out of surgery - Serena and her family had left  
by then - but the doctors were certain that, had he not been  
resuscitated when he was, he wouldn't have made it.  
  
Suddenly, a commotion at the door caught his attention.  
  
"Serena? Are you all right?"  
  
"Andrew!" Serena rushed into his arms, while the broom clattered to the  
floor. He returned her hug warmly. "How is he? Did they tell you? Did  
you finds out anything? Is he gonna be okay?" It was all said in one  
long breath.  
  
Andrew almost smiled. Same old Serena, despite everything.  
  
Still holding the girl, Andrew began, "He came out of surgery at about  
ten last night. He had internal bleeding and a broken arm, but no head  
injuries. He's got a lot of bruising as well, and possibly some ligament  
damage in his right leg."  
  
"But he's gonna be okay?"  
  
Andrew looked down at her pleading eyes, and had to look away. "Serena  
. . . he's in a coma. His body suffered a massive shock. They really  
don't know if he's going to pull through." There were tears in his eyes  
by the time he finished.  
  
Serena pulled away from him then. Andrew winced.  
  
"I managed to get most of the morning off work," he said, mainly just to  
break the silence. "I was going to go and see him later. I finish in  
about an hour."  
  
Serena looked up. "I guess I'll wait for you then. I was going over to  
the hospital now, but . . . I guess his family must be with him. I  
wouldn't want to disturb them."  
  
Andrew looked confused. "But Darien doesn't have . . . oh, of course!  
You wouldn't know."  
  
Serena looked alarmed. "Know what?"  
  
"Serena, sit down." He pulled up a stood, and she perched herself on  
the edge of it. "Serena, Darien doesn't have a family. He was orphaned  
when he was just a child. In a car accident."  
  
Serena gasped.  
  
"He lives alone. He's always been alone. That's why I'm so worried about  
him now. I think . . . I think you should go and see him now. I'll catch  
up to you later."  
  
Serena's eyes were definitely teary now. "Okay." He voice was small and  
fragile.  
  
"Don't worry, Serena." He pulled her close for another hug. "Everything  
will be okay."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I told you, he doesn't have any family! I'm his friend, and I want to  
see him!"  
"I'll have to verify that, miss," replied the nurse, her bulky face  
wobbling slightly. "What did you say his name was?"  
  
"Chiba. Darien Chiba."  
  
The nurse turned to her computer and started typing quickly. Serena  
gazed hopelessly up the corridor. This was a waste of time. I could  
find him faster myself she thought, annoyed. Hey! She perked up.  
That's not a bad idea. Checking that the nurse was still preoccupied,  
Serena quietly slipped away from the desk, slinking quickly around the  
corner. Moving at not quite a run, she made the end of the corridor in  
silence, and slipped around the corner. Now, where would he be? A  
lighted sign at the end of the corridor flashed redly - 'Intensive Care'.  
This is too easy she thought with a grin.  
  
"Chiba, Chiba, Chiba . . ." Serena scanned the names on the doors  
quickly. He should be here somewhere! Unless he was . . . ! Serena shook  
her head quickly. No. I'm not even going to think that.  
  
Suddenly, a door opened behind her, and she spun around, hoping she  
wasn't about to get into trouble. But the doctor coming out of the room  
just gave her a friendly, though somewhat strained smile. "Can I help  
you, miss?"  
  
"Er . . . I was looking for Darien Chiba? He's a patient here."  
  
"Well, you've found him." The doctor aimed a thumb at the sign over his  
shoulder. Serena's eyes lit up.  
  
"Are you his family?"  
  
She blushed faintly. "Um . . . no, I'm a friend. He doesn't have a  
family, see, and . . . I told the lady at the front desk." Serena added  
hopefully. Don't make me leave him now!  
  
But the doctor nodded. "Well, okay. Er . . . miss?" He stopped her just  
before she went in the door.  
  
Serena froze, trying her best to look innocent.  
  
"Have you ever been in a hospital before?"  
  
She shook her head.  
  
"Well, I think I should warn you . . . Darien's not in real good shape.  
You might be a bit . . . shocked, at first."  
  
Serena nodded. What did he mean? But she didn't want to waste time  
finding out. She pushed open the door.  
  
And froze.  
  
One hand flew to cover her mouth, while the other clenched into a tight  
fist.  
  
Fighting for some control, she turned back to the doctor. "Um, thank  
you. I'll be okay now."  
  
The doctor nodded, and closed the door behind him.  
  
As soon as he was gone, Serena's legs gave way, and she landed in a heap  
on the floor.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ami sat on the steps of the temple, slowly snapping a twig into tiny  
pieces. "I know Serena's often late, but Lita too? Surely they haven't  
*both* forgotten the meeting?"  
  
Mina shivered. "I've got a bad feeling about this. Something's not  
right."  
  
Rei sat up. "Do you think they're in trouble?"  
  
But Mina shook her head. "It's kind of hard to say. I don't think they're  
hurt, but . . .I don't know."  
  
"Rei! Mina! Ami!"  
  
All three girls turned at the shout, jumping to their feet as Lita came  
racing down the street. She skidded to a halt in front of them, and had  
to wait several seconds before she had enough breath to talk.  
"Something's happened. I'm on my way to the hospital now. Maybe you  
should come as well," she added, as a second thought.  
  
"The hospital? Oh no! Has something happened to Serena?" Ami's face was  
somewhere between devastated and shocked.  
  
Lita shook her head. "No, it's not Serena. It's Darien. He was hit by a  
car."  
  
"Darien?!?"  
  
Rei had been taking karate classes with Darien for several months, and  
all the girls had met him through her, as well as Serena.  
  
"Is he all right? How did it happen?"  
  
Lita held up her hand, still out of breath. "It happened yesterday.  
Sorry, I didn't have a chance to tell you then. Come on, I'll fill you  
in on the way."  
  
She raced off down the street again, the three scouts in tow.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Serena sat on the floor of the hospital room for the better part of five  
minutes. Handfuls of wires connected Darien to various machines - Serena  
couldn't begin to guess what they all did. From where she sat, every inch  
of him seemed to be covered in bandages or casts. But that was not what  
had shocked her. It was his face.  
  
The left half was fairly normal, but the right side . . . the right side  
was black, covered in bruises and swollen.  
  
Serena closed her eyes to try and block out the image, but it flared  
brightly in the blackness of her mind. No one should ever be in that  
much pain she thought angrily. The anger surprised her, and she slowly  
opened her eyes again, looking over the bed from her vantage point on the  
floor.  
  
Carefully, she climbed to her feet, wincing as she saw his face again,  
but bravely stepping forward. He needs me. He needs to have someone with  
him.  
  
Looking at his body again, it didn't seem so bad. His right arm was  
broken, wrapped in a cast, and the places where he had been operated on  
were obvious, but it wasn't nearly as much as she had thought. Serena  
relaxed a little, beginning to get over the shock.  
  
She pulled a chair up beside his bed, and gingerly lifted his hand into her  
own. It occurred to her that this was the first time she had really  
touched him. The thought made her a little uncomfortable. The silence of  
the room seemed to settle around her as she sat there, sending a chill  
down her spine.  
  
It all seemed so wrong. So upside down. Darien had always been so cool,  
so in control, so independent. And now, he was lying here, helpless,  
defenceless.  
  
Grief wracked Serena's face as she reached out to stroke his hair. In all  
the days of teasing and snide remarks, she had never dreamed anything  
like this could happen. It didn't even occur to her to wonder why she  
cared so much.  
  
A sob escaped her lips, and before she knew it, she was crying desperately  
into the sheet while she still clung to his hand.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He stared at the castle in disbelief. His Princess had to be there,  
somewhere. She was always there. Wasn't she? Fear began to spread through  
him, as he felt more alone than ever before in his life.  
  
Then . . . what was that? A voice? He stared up at the turrets again. A  
shadow appeared out of the mist. The shadow of a woman.  
  
He stepped forward. "Princess?"  
  
The woman nodded. "Yes, my Prince."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Serena stared out the window, idly stroking Darien's hand. Her tears had  
dried on her cheeks, but her eyes were still puffy. Finally, the silence  
of the room became too much for her. Her eyes drifted back to his face.  
"Oh Darien. I'm sorry." It seemed a strange thing to say, but it was the  
first thing that came to her mind. "I'm sorry this had to happen. I'm  
sorry I couldn't help you." Her tears were welling up again. "I'm sorry  
for all the days when I gave you a hard time." She rubbed his hand  
desperately. "Please don't die, Darien. I miss you. I miss you calling me  
Meatball Head. Please, just don't die."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Darien stood in the mist, staring up at his Princess.  
  
"You must come back, Darien."  
  
Though her voice was clear and smooth, and filled him with joy, Darien  
was confused. "But I have come back, Princess." Then, he noticed that the  
castle was further away than it had been. It was moving away from him.  
No he realised. *I* am moving! He started to run towards the castle.  
"Princess! I'm coming! Wait for me."  
  
"Don't leave me, my Prince." Darien kept running. Her voice sounded so  
far away! The castle was fading into the mist.  
"Princess, no! Wait for me!"  
  
The mist swirled all around him. He couldn't see anything but white.  
Realising he was lost, Darien slowed to a walk, and then stopped, slowly  
looking around himself in fear. He was alone.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Serena leapt a foot in the air as the heart monitor pulsed out a frantic  
rhythm.  
  
"Darien, NO!"  
  
A group of doctors rushed into the room, pressing buttons on the machines,  
checking the read-outs. One of them gave Darien an injection of something.  
And all the while, Serena held onto his hand, screaming at him to live.  
Damn you she screamed in her mind. Reaching forward, she placed one  
hand roughly on his cheek, her fingers locking in his hair. "Don't you  
*dare* die, Darien Chiba. I won't let you die."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Darien was alone. He closed his eyes, and sank onto the ground. What was  
left for him now? Without his Princess . . .  
  
Then suddenly, he felt a presence beside him. A hand pressed onto his  
cheek. A voice whispered gentle to him.  
  
"Darien. Come back to me."  
  
Darien opened his eyes. It was his Princess! He couldn't see her face, it  
was still hidden in shadow, but there was no doubt, it was her!  
  
"Come with me, Darien." She started drifting away from him. "Come with  
me." He reached for her, but she was just beyond his fingers. Don't leave  
me again! But then, she stopped, and held out her hand again. "You can  
reach me if you want to, Darien. Take my hand."  
  
He stared at her, fear and grief chocking his eyes, but slowly, he reached  
out his hand - and was absolutely stunned when he touched her fingers.  
She grasped him tightly, and pulled him to his feet. "Come with me." She  
started to rise before him, and Darien felt himself lifted, pulled  
upwards by some irresistible force.  
  
"I'm coming, my Princess."  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"We're his friends. We care about him, that's all!" Rei glowered at the  
nurse, but unfortunately, she was used to being glowered at. And she was  
also used to winning arguments. "I'm sorry. We can't let groups of people  
in to see him. It's standard procedure for intensive care patients."  
Andrew stepped forward. "My name is Andrew," he said, offering his  
driver's licence to the nurse as ID. "I was here yesterday with him.  
Could you just tell me which room he's in."  
  
The nurse wobbled her face defensively. "I'm sorry. You'll have to come  
back when you're alone. We can't let groups of people in . . ."  
  
Lita turned to Ami at the back of their group. "I wonder how Serena got  
in. She must have come up with something devious to get past this lump."  
  
Ami stifled a laugh. "Hey, that's not nice. You're right though. Maybe we  
need to start thinking like Serena. What do you think she did?"  
  
Suddenly, a scream broke into their conversation.  
  
"Oh my gosh! That man's bleeding! Someone help him!" Rei screamed,  
pointing out the door.  
  
The diversion had the desired effect. All three nurses behind the desk  
rushed outside, and Rei grabbed the opportunity, pulling her stunned  
friends down the corridor and around the corner.  
  
They kept running until several more turns and doorways were between them  
and the nurses, then Rei collapsed against the wall, laughing so hard she  
could barely breath. The others quickly joined her, Lita actually rolling  
on the floor in hysteria.  
  
Finally getting control of themselves, Mina was the first to speak. "Rei,  
you're crazy! How on earth did you come up with an idea like that?"  
Rei shrugged through her laughter. "I just thought 'what would Serena do  
in a situation like this?' The answer was pretty obvious, really. What's  
so funny?" she asked suddenly, staring at Lita and Ami. The two girls were  
rolling on the floor, tears of laughter streaming down their faces.  
  
"Serena!" was the only word Ami managed to gasp out before she collapsed  
into laughter again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to leave for a moment."  
  
Serena stared at the doctor, disbelieving. "What? Why?"  
  
"We have to make sure the patient is stable. You will be able to come back  
in a few minutes, but I have to insist that you leave."  
  
Pulling his way through the mist, Darien's eyes were flooded with light.  
He heard voices. His Princess's voice, he was sure of it. And another  
voice, telling her she must leave. Why should she leave? You won't leave  
me, will you Princess? Darien heard her reluctantly agree, her voice sad.  
No! He forced his eyes open, wincing at the light. He saw the back of  
her head as she walked away, two buns pinned up, the exact image of the  
woman in his dreams. Princess. Don't leave. He tried to speak, tried to  
call her back, but he couldn't find his voice. And he could only watch as  
she retreated through the door, and out of his life again. Princess no!  
Don't leave me. Don't leave.  
  
He fell back again, closing his eyes in pain. Why was he always alone?  
Then another voice came bellowing into his mind. A male voice. "Darien?  
Darien Chiba, can you hear me?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Serena sat slumped against the wall, her long hair running idly through  
her fingers. Why was it taking so long?  
  
Wait a minute. Was that . . . Lita's voice? Serena stood up, staring  
down the corridor. Could it be?  
  
"Serena!" All four scouts ran full pelt down the hall, falling into a  
tight group hug, Serena in the middle of it.  
  
"Serena, are you okay?"  
  
"Lita told us everything."  
  
"How's Darien? Is he gonna be okay?"  
  
Serena found the whole thing a little overwhelming. Smiling bravely, she  
started, "I'm okay. I saw Darien this morning. He's with some doctors now.  
  
He's . . . he's . . ." A sob broke from Serena's throat, and she  
collapsed into Ami's arms, unable to continue. Massive sobs shook her,  
while the others looked on in alarm. He couldn't be . . . could he?  
  
Finally, Rei grabbed Serena by the shoulders. "Serena," she said, grief  
filling her own eyes. "I'm sorry, Serena, but we have to know. Is he  
. . . alive or . . ."  
  
Serena took a deep breath. "He's alive. His heart stopped a couple of  
minutes ago but," she rushed on, "he's alive. He's okay . . . for now."  
The scouts and Andrew exchanged horrified glances.  
  
Then Andrew did something the scouts thought they would never see him do.  
  
He began to cry.  
  



	3. Chapter 2

Romancing the Enemy  
By Scutter  
scutter1200@hotmail.com  
  
Except for the ones I made up, these characters belong to whatever  
individuals/ companies own or made Sailor Moon.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Darien slowly opened his eyes, the fuzzy walls of the room gradually  
coming into focus. He heard voices. Soft voices, like gentle music. It  
was peaceful. Then he felt someone stroking his hand. It was a good  
feeling. He closed his fingers, feeling a hand, warm and soft in his own.  
  
Serena gaped as Darien's hand grasped hers, then her eyes flew to his  
face. "Darien?"  
  
Every eye in the room turned to him, the scouts stopping their  
conversation immediately.  
  
Darien blinked twice, trying to figure out where he was. A face appeared  
in front of his, slightly out of focus. He concentrated on it. "Serena?"  
he asked weakly.  
  
"Yes, it's me."  
  
Darien tried to smile, but the effort was too much. He closed his eyes,  
and drifted slowly back into a peaceful, soothing sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
It was a Sunday morning - usually the time when Serena would stay in bed  
until 11:00. But not this morning. Not even though it was the beginning  
of school vacation. She was up at 8:15 sharp, almost bouncing out of bed.  
Luna groaned, as she was pushed off the bed early for the fifth time that  
week. I never thought I'd see the day when I wished Serena was late for  
something she thought grumpily, as the girl pulled on her jeans, and  
raced for the door.  
  
Serena kept running until the hospital was in sight, when she finally  
slowed to a breathless walk. She arrived at exactly 9:01, and ducked past  
the nurse at the front desk, knowing exactly where she was going.  
Though she had woken up in a good mood, Serena became more subdued as she  
reached Darien's door. She had been to see him every day for the past  
week, but despite her repeated visits, she couldn't get used to seeing  
him in so much pain. It's just not fair . . . Taking a deep breath,  
she knocked softly, then pushed open the door.  
  
Darien was asleep. His black hair was tousled against the pillow and he  
breathed slowly and deeply. Serena smiled gently at his peaceful  
expression, and quietly pulled a chair up to his bed. She loved watching  
him sleep. It was the only time that the characteristic frown left his  
face, and he looked relaxed and peaceful. The way he should be . . .  
she thought with a sigh.  
  
The bruises on his face had finally faded - only a faint mark remained,  
and the doctors were considering taking him out of intensive care.  
Serena sat beside him for several minutes. She must have sat like this  
for hours over the past week, but she never tired of it. Gently, she  
reached out to hold his hand, stroking it slowly. And her mind drifted  
back, again, to why she was here in the first place. Over the hours she  
had sat with him over the past week, she had thought about it a lot,  
making up all kinds of excuses at first, trying in her own mind to get  
around the fact that she thought she couldn't stand the guy - she was  
here because he was in pain and she hated seeing people suffering -  
because she liked making people happy - because it must be boring for  
him, sitting in a hospital bed all day, and she could cheer him up.  
But in all honesty, she had realised, it was because she felt guilty.  
Guilty that she had never given him a chance. Guilty that she had never  
even *tried* to be nice to him. Guilty, she realised now, because he had  
always been alone, while she had had friends to lean on.  
  
Gazing at him now, she knew that was the real reason. Because he was  
alone, and she wasn't. So she gave herself to him, to take away that  
loneliness.  
  
And the fear that if he dies, *you* will be alone. Serena scowled,  
quickly silencing the inner voice. 'That's not true. I've got lots of  
friends . . .'  
  
She sighed. Unable to help herself, she reached out and softly stroked  
his hair, brushing the black bangs from his forehead. He stirred  
slightly, and she froze. The effect of her touch was evident none the  
less, and he slowly opened his eyes.  
  
Darien blinked as the room came into focus, and then he smiled as he saw  
Serena sitting next to him. Every day, without fail, she would arrive  
while he was asleep, and he would wake to her smiling face. Like an  
angel . . . It was one of the few things he could look forward to in  
hospital.  
  
"Good morning," she whispered as he slowly sat up. "How do you feel?"  
Darien yawned and stretched his good arm. "Not too bad, considering." He  
ran his fingers quickly through his hair, hoping it wasn't sticking up  
too badly. What are you doing? Trying to look good for her? an inner  
voice chided him, but he ignored it, and stifled another yawn.  
  
"Andrew said he'd come in as soon as he finishes work. And Lita said  
she's try to sneak some of her cooking in. We all know how bad hospital  
food is," Serena added with a grin.  
  
Darien nodded. "Thanks."  
  
Then something caught his eye. A fresh bunch of red roses beside his bed.  
He looked dubiously at Serena. "You brought these, did you?" he asked,  
pointing to them.  
  
She nodded brightly. "Andrew said you liked roses, so I thought I'd bring  
you some."  
  
To her surprise, Darien sighed. "Serena, you've brought me flowers every  
day for a week. It's not that I don't appreciate it, but . . . you don't  
have to keep doing this."  
  
Serena shrugged the comment off. "This room is so dull, I just had to do  
something to make it brighter. Look at it, it's all white!"  
  
Darien looked around, but he didn't see a white room. He saw a room full  
of every different coloured flower he could imagine - not only from  
Serena, but from Andrew, Rita and Rei as well. Every available surface  
was taken up - the windowsill, the nightstand, the top of the TV, even  
the top of his IV machine was occupied. Serena looked around as well,  
and suddenly saw the room as Darien was seeing it. She burst out into  
giggles. "Okay, so maybe I went a little overboard."  
  
Darien half-smiled. She's so generous . . . "Serena, I know I might  
regret saying this but you don't have to be here all day, every day.  
You've hardly left since the accident, excluding the time you were at  
school."  
  
She shrugged shyly. "I like being here. I like cheering you up. Besides,"  
she added with a coy grin. "I see this as an investment in my future  
career. I want to be a nurse, so I should spend as much time around  
hospitals as possible." Her grin faded, and she looked away. She couldn't  
tell him why she was really here. Andrew wasn't even supposed to have  
told her . . .  
  
"But it's the school vacation now," Darien pressed gently, squeezing her  
hand. "You should be out with your friends, having a good time."  
Serena laughed bitterly, a sound Darien had never expected to hear from  
her. "I should be having a good time while you get to sit in here all  
day? How is that fair?"  
  
Darien fixed her with a steady, disapproving stare. He could be stubborn  
when he wanted to be - he knew that well enough.  
  
But not half so stubborn as Serena. Deliberately meeting his gaze, she  
eventually stared him down, and he looked away, defeated. Honestly, he  
couldn't really complain about her being here. Actually, his heart leapt  
in panic at even the thought of her leaving. It was all that kept him  
sane. He had never been cooped up like this before, and it was driving  
him nuts.  
  
But he had to give her the option. Because he felt guilty. Guilty for  
taking up her time, when he was so undeserving of it. Guilty that she  
could be so kind to him, while he had only ever been mean to her. Guilty  
that she could give him so much, when he had never given her anything in  
return . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
~Later that day~  
  
"One, two, three! Scissors cut paper! I win!" Serena giggled with glee.  
Darien chuckled and shook his head. A week ago, he would never in the  
world have expected to be playing scissors-paper-rock with *anyone*,  
never mind that it was *Serena*. She had done everything she could to  
keep him occupied during the day - they had played cards, watched cheesy  
movies on the room's small screen, Serena had told him all the news from  
the arcade - and now they sat playing this silly game, to which he found  
he had absolutely no objection.  
  
"Knock knock?" A questioning face poked around the door, and Darien and  
Serena both looked up.  
  
Lita grinned, and stepped into the room, flopping down on the end of  
Darien's bed, and tossing a backpack in front of her. "Hey, guys. Sorry  
I couldn't come earlier, but my grandparents came round for lunch, so I  
had to be there. You know how it is." She shrugged at Darien, who gazed  
back, mildly perplexed. No, I don't know how it is . . .  
  
"Anyway," she carried on, "Just to cheer you up, I have brought  
you . . ." she trailed off as she rumaged through the backpack. Darien  
shot Serena a quizzical glance, but she just shrugged. "This!" Lita  
emerged triumphant from the bottom of the bag holding a metal tin.  
Ripping the lid off, she presented the contents to a surprised Darien.  
"Cookies! I know they're not really real food," Lita started rambling,  
"but I had to think of something I could sneak past the nurses, and a  
roast dinner didn't exactly fit that description, ya know, so I had to  
think of something smaller, so I came up with the perfect idea -  
cookies - so I baked these just this morning, so they're nice and  
fresh . . . " she paused as she took a big breath, "And here they are,"  
she finished, looking proud of herself.  
  
Then she realised Darien was staring at her. "What?" she asked, worried.  
He shook his head in wonder. "Do all girls do that?"  
  
Lita stared at him. "Do what?"  
  
"Talk for five minutes without breathing?"  
  
Serena and Lita looked at each other guiltily, then grinned, and burst  
into a fit of giggles. "No, I think it's just us," Lita replied. "Here,  
have a cookie. You'll feel better."  
  
"Hey guys! What's happening?" A voice suddenly spoke up from the door.  
Darien looked up . . . and a grin split his face. "Andrew! Come on in."  
  
The blond man stepped into the room smiling, then glanced at the bed.  
"Looks like I came just at the right time," he said with a grin, noticing  
the open tin of cookies. "Am I right in guessing Lita baked these?"  
Lita grinned. "You sure are."  
  
"Mmm, they're great!" Serena mumbled through a mouthful. "Choc-chip. My  
favourite."  
  
Darien raised an eyebrow as the small girl began stuffing a second  
biscuit into her mouth, and chuckled to himself. "Hungry, are you?"  
Serena stopped in mid-bite, and blushed. "Oops. Sorry. These are supposed  
to be yours."  
  
But Darien just smiled. "I don't mind. Help yourself. But if you're  
hungry, maybe you should go get some lunch. You haven't eaten all day."  
Serena's eyes lit up again. "Ooh! Lunch. Yeah! Hey Lita, come on, let's  
eat."  
  
"Right behind ya, girl!"  
  
"We'll be right back, Darien. Before you even miss us . . ."  
  
Darien watched the two girls run out the door, then turned to see Andrew  
staring after them, in mild shock. "*That's* what you have to put up with  
all day?" he asked, incredulously.  
  
Darien just shrugged. "Well, it's more interesting than doing nothing."  
The blond man grinned. "Well, while we have a quiet moment, I guess I  
should tell you Cathy came to see me at the arcade. She's been picking up  
your notes for you from collage, so you can catch up when you finally get  
out of here. I could bring some work in for you, if you like, since you  
don't have much else to do all day . . .yo, Dare? You listening?" he  
asked, as he realised his friend was staring out the door, looking  
decidedly spacey. Darien didn't reply. "Earth to Darien! Come in!"  
  
"Huh? What was that?" Darien looked up, a faint blush covering his cheeks.  
  
Andrew frowned. "What's on your mind? It's not like you to space out on  
me. Is something wrong?"  
  
Darien shook his head slowly. "I was just thinking about Serena. It  
doesn't make any sense. Why would *she* of all people be spending all her  
time with me? I just don't get it."  
  
When Andrew didn't reply, Darien glanced over to him to see why not, and  
was surprised to see him staring at the floor, his face rather red.  
"Andrew? Do you know something I don't?"  
  
Andrew looked up guiltily. "Uh, well, no, not really. See, the thing  
is . . ." He stopped, and looked at the floor again.  
  
"Go on. I'm listening."  
  
"Well, you see, I kinda . . . um . . ." He suddenly started talking very  
quickly. "Darien, please don't get mad, but I told Serena your parents  
died. I know you didn't want anyone to know, and I shouldn't have told  
her. I know it was wrong, but she was just so worried about you, I  
couldn't just leave her in the dark. She just wanted to help you, and I  
didn't want you spending all your time alone. I didn't think it would do  
any harm. I'm so sorry Darien, I really didn't mean to hurt you." He  
stopped, and took a deep breath before he risked a glance at his best  
friend.  
  
Darien was silent.  
  
He felt strange. Honestly, he didn't know *what* to feel. He knew he  
*should* have been annoyed, or even angry. His privacy was very important  
to him, and he knew Andrew had betrayed that. But . . .  
  
Somehow it was all right. He wondered why. Then he realised he knew the  
reason - the reason he wanted to keep his past so well hidden, and the  
reason it was all right for Serena to know. The reason was pity.  
  
Serena had never pitied him. Yes, she had sympathised with him, comforted  
him, even cried over him, but she had never pitied him. He had seen that  
look all too often at the orphanage. But he could tell the way Serena saw  
him was different. Something he almost didn't recognise. Something that  
touched him in a way that he had never felt before. She just . . . cared  
about him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Serena lay awake in bed, staring at the full moon streaming in her  
window. She checked her clock again. 2:17am. Exactly two minutes after  
she had checked the last time. She sighed. She had felt unusually tired  
when she had finally come home from the hospital last night, and gone  
almost straight to bed, but now she just couldn't get back to sleep, her  
mind filled with a jumble of thoughts that wouldn't let her rest. She had  
been awake for nearly an hour now, having woken up from a nightmare she  
couldn't quite remember, something about a motorbike . . .  
  
Finally, she slipped out of bed and went to her window, resting her chin  
on the cold sill. She couldn't stop thinking about Darien. When Andrew  
had first told her about the orphanage, she had been shocked, to say the  
least. Who could have imagined that strong, confident Darien would ever  
have been so . . . helpless? But when she had thought about it later, it  
seemed to explain so much. Why he was so aloof with everyone. Why he  
never said much. Why he always wore that characteristic frown.  
  
But it wasn't helplessness that she saw in him now. No, she realised, she  
didn't pity him. She admired him. She admired his strength at having  
overcome a terrible loss. He had shown that he had something that she  
thought she lacked - courage.  
  
With a shock, she realised why she couldn't sleep, why she was sitting  
awake at 2:30 in the morning. She wanted to see Darien. Now. It didn't  
matter that it was the middle of the night - she had to see him now.  
Thankfully, Luna wasn't in her room tonight - presumably off chasing mice  
somewhere - so if she was quiet, no one should miss her . . . but if  
anyone found out, she could be in a lot of trouble . . . The thought  
played over in her mind, before she finally threw away the doubts, and  
got up from her seat by the window.  
  
As quickly and quietly as possible, Serena crept to her closet and pulled  
on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then crept back to her window, sliding  
it open softly, stunned by her own boldness. For once in her life, fate  
smiled at her, and she didn't stumble at all as she climbed from the  
window onto the tree outside, and slid to the ground below.  
  
The darkened, empty streets didn't frighten her at all as she ran towards  
the hospital. I *am* Sailor Moon, after all she thought, for once  
confident in the role of heroine. If anyone tries to mess with me . . .  
The moonlight easily lit her way, as she followed the familiar route with  
silent steps.  
  
Finally, Serena arrived breathlessly at the hospital door, and for the  
first time since she had left her room, doubt entered her mind. It was  
the middle of the night. The hospital was closed to visitors. They surely  
wouldn't let her in to see a patient *now*, would they? What would the  
nurses think of a young girl wandering around at night. Would they call  
her parents? Would they call the police??  
  
The woman behind the desk stood in surprise when she saw Serena. "Miss,  
is something wrong? Are you all right?"  
  
Serena started, like a deer caught in a car's headlights. Too late now  
she thought. "I . . . um . . . I know it's very late and all, but . . ."  
She hesitated. "Er, one of my friends is in here, and I couldn't sleep,  
and I just want to see him." She looked pleadingly at the nurse, who  
looked back with compassionate eyes. "Could you let me do that?"  
The nurse frowned for a long moment, and Serena's heart fell. But then  
the woman nodded slowly. "Well, you'll have to be very *very* quiet."  
Serena nodded eagerly. "Don't disturb *anyone*, and don't go anywhere you  
shouldn't be." Serena nodded again, and the nurse sighed. "Well, all  
right, I suppose you can go."  
  
Serena smiled with relief, muttered a quick 'thank you', and hurried  
silently down the now familiar route to Darien's room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Darien lay stiffly in his bed, the sheets twisted and rumpled around him,  
as a cold sweat formed on his brow. Though sleeping, his dreams gave him  
no rest, and he moaned quietly . . .  
  
During the day, a seemingly endless stream of people had visited him -  
Serena and her friends, Rita, Andrew, even Andrew's little sister had  
come by for a while - frankly Darien was stunned at the amount of  
attention he was getting. He had had no idea that people cared about him  
so much . . . but evening had come, and everyone had finally left,  
leaving him to deal with his demons alone. In the dark room, he had lain  
awake for hours, thinking, brooding, trying to work out Serena's strange  
behaviour - and how he should react to it.  
  
She had stayed with him all day, not just sitting with him, but radiating  
her endless enthusiasm and smiling that genuine warmth at him for the  
entire time. He wondered for the fifth time if she was truly only here  
because he was an orphan. Because he had no one else. He didn't like the  
idea much. Instead, he began to wonder if her feelings could be more than  
just concern. Could it be . . . friendship? Affection? Love? Strangely,  
there was no comfort in the thought. Instead, it stabbed at him like a  
knife. Why? he thought. Why should that hurt me? Then he realised.  
The Princess. Darien groaned at the clarity of the thought. He could  
never care for anyone else while his Princess was waiting for him. But  
Serena was *here*, with warm arms and a willing smile, while his Princess  
was . . . well, was not here, at least not this side of his dreams.  
The darkness had been welcome then, as he had closed his eyes to try and  
block out the confusion and anguish. He would not, *could* not, betray  
his Princess. And yet . . . he sighed. He was just so tired of being  
alone.  
  
I was right he thought sadly. All those years in the orphanage, when I  
hoped I was wrong, I was actualy right. Loving someone *isn't* worth the  
pain. Someone always gets hurt. Turning over, and curling into a tight  
ball, Darien shuddered, wishing hopelessly that he was still wrong.  
He wanted someone to love him. He wanted it so badly. A silent tear slid  
down his cheek as the forgotten memories of the orphanage wandered  
through his mind. Why must I always be alone . . .?  
  
Darien shifted restlessly in his sleep, as those endless dreams that  
cheered and plagued him began to play again . . .  
  
He walked slowly through the mist, the castle appearing out of the  
dimness. It should have been so familiar . . . and yet something was  
different. Then he realised the ground was trembling. He looked up,  
alarmed, searching the balcony for his Princess. She must know that  
something was wrong!  
  
But as he looked, the castle seemed so old, now. He stared in horror as  
one tall, proud turret started to crumble, slowly at first, then falling  
in thundering waves of stone and splintering wood. He stared through the  
mist up to the high balcony. The silouette of his Princess stood, staring  
down at him.  
  
"Princess? What's happening? What's wrong?"  
  
"It is ending, my Prince. My time with you, here, is over. You must wake  
now."  
  
Ending? No! "Princess, no! I don't want to leave you!"  
  
Even through the mist, he could see her shake her head. "No, my Prince.  
You must leave me, or lose me."  
  
Another turret began it's thundering descent.  
  
"What's going on? Why is this happening?"  
  
"You must leave, Endymion." Her voice was more forceful. The third turret  
was falling, disappearing into the growing fog. "Go, before it is too  
late!"  
  
"I won't!" His voice sounded strangled, the sound deadened by the fog. A  
sickening weight seemed to press against his stomach. Why must I always  
be alone?! Why does everyone leave me? The ground was shuddering heavily  
now, and the fourth turret began to fall. But no, he realised. Not just  
the turret. The whole castle was falling, beginning with the rear wall,  
and slowly moving forward. He stared in horror. The balcony . . . the  
balcony!  
  
"Princess, no!" His breath was choked, his eyes filled with tears. He  
couldn't bear to see her die!  
  
The Princess spoke again. "Run."  
  
And this time, he heeded her words. With blind, thoughtless, terrified  
obedience, he ran.  
  
Darien gasped, eyes wide as he jerked awake. Then he heard a faint sound,  
and his eyes snapped to the door. In the dim light, her back to him,  
stood the perfect sillouette of a woman. Two buns held her hair up, the  
long ponytails falling below her waist. His Princess . . . !  
  
"Wait!"  
  
The woman turned in surprise. Her face was still hidden in the darkness,  
but he could clearly make out her sillouette. "I'm sorry," she said  
quietly. "I thought you were asleep."  
  
"Please, don't leave."  
  
Serena stared at his trembling form in the darkness. He sounds so  
scared . . .  
  
Darien felt physically sick. She couldn't leave him! He was so tired of  
being alone. He just wanted someone to love him . . .  
  
She walked slowly back to his side, and he gasped when she took his hand.  
Her hand felt to warm, and fitted so well into his . . .  
"Did you have a bad dream?"  
  
He nodded mutely, but suddenly, he was unable to recall what the dream  
had actually been about. Something had been ending . . . ? "I . . . I  
don't remember . . ." he tried to say, but she placed a gentle finger  
over his lips, silencing him.  
  
In the darkness, she seemed to smile. "Lie down. I didn't mean to disturb  
you." He merely looked at her, and when he didn't move, she reached out  
and pushed his shoulder back. Reluctantly he lay down, but kept his eyes  
on her face. Her hand was still in his, and he held onto it tightly as he  
lay in the darkness, hot, aching tears sliding down his face in silence.  
He could not believe this was happening. His Princess, here with him at  
last. He wanted nothing more than to hold this woman in his arms, to feel  
her body against him forever, but he was too afraid to move - afraid that  
if he tried she would vanish like a dream into the coldness of the  
morning and he would never see her again. So instead, he held onto her  
hand, hoping, if this was a dream, that he could sleep forever.  
  
Serena sat beside the shivering man for a long time. He stayed still the  
whole time, never saying a word, but she knew he wasn't sleeping. His  
breathing was uneven, and his hand was cold and tense in hers. Strangely,  
she found herself wanting to hold him in her arms, to comfort him, to  
take away his pain. What's so strange about that? she thought, with a  
start. Is it any stranger than you being in his hospital room in the  
middle of the night? She shook her head slightly, wondering what could  
possibly have caused this panic in him. It was so unlike him, so unlike  
the aloof, arrogant Darien she knew and loved to despise. And that  
touched her in ways she had never imagined.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like hours, she stole a glance at the clock,  
knowing she had to get home before dawn.  
  
And she realised with a shock that it *had* been hours. It was 5:30!  
Reluctantly, she sat up, squeezing Darien's hand to get his attention.  
"Darien?"  
  
He sat up slightly. "What is it?"  
  
"I have to go now. It's very late."  
  
Suddenly, he had her hand in a vice-like grip. "No! You can't go. I don't  
want you to."  
  
Serena was taken aback. "But . . . but I have to go. I have to get home.  
It's almost dawn."  
  
He said nothing, but tightened his grip on her hand. "Don't leave me," he  
whispered harshly. Serena winced at the sound. It was so . . . desperate.  
Was she really that important to him? The idea of someone needing her so  
badly - clumsy, irresponsible little Serena - scared her, and she didn't  
quite know what to do about it.  
  
Gingerly, she took his hand in hers again, and brought it to her lips,  
kissing the back of it lightly. "I'll be back in the morning. It's only a  
couple of hours away. I'll be back, I promise."  
  
Darien hesitated for a second, then released her hand, letting it slide  
slowly out of his. "Okay . . ."  
  
In the dim light, he thought he saw her smile, and he managed to return  
the look.  
  
Walking with quiet, graceful movements, she rose and stepped out into the  
hallway, and he saw the light from it shining in her golden hair. With  
her back to him, she reached for the door handle, to close the light out,  
and his cold darkness in. But just as the door was about to close, she  
turned back to face him, to give him a final warming smile. And in the  
light of the hallway, he saw her face. For the first time in his life he  
saw the face of his Princess. He saw . . .  
  
Serena.  
  
Serena? SERENA?! He sat up in shock. Serena was his Princess?!!?  
With a blinding flash, he realised all at once how blind he had been -  
and how much he really loved that little hurricane of joy, princess or  
no. But she *was* his princess. There was no doubt about it.  
  
He suddenly felt a great relief at the thought, like the last piece of a  
huge puzzle had dropped into place, but at the same time, he felt a  
wracking confusion. And one jagged, searing question echoed in his  
shattered mind.  
  
*How on Earth am I supposed to tell her how I feel?*  
  
But, with a shake of his head, he realised he didn't want to consider  
that now. All that mattered at that moment was that finally, he knew he  
wanted her love. Badly. And somehow, some day, he would have it.  
And with that thought, he finally fell into a deep and soothing sleep,  
dreaming of silver rabbits chasing a golden ray of sunlight.  
  



	4. Chapter 3

Romancing the Enemy  
By Scutter  
scutter1200@hotmail.com  
  
Except for the ones I made up, these characters belong to whatever  
individuals/ companies own or made Sailor Moon.  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Four weeks later . . .  
  
It was a Sunday morning - usually the time when Serena would stay in bed  
until 11:00. But not this morning. She was up at 7:15 sharp, almost  
bouncing out of bed. It had become a routine now - she would wake up  
early - even before her alarm, bounce out of bed, Luna would groan,  
Serena would say 'Oh, quit complaining. You always said you wanted me up  
earlier', and then the little hurricane would race out the door in  
characteristic fashion on her way to the hospital.  
  
Well, at least that's the way it *had* been. As she slipped on her jeans  
this morning, Serena couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Today  
was the last day she would be seeing Darien at the hospital. The last day  
she would sit by his bed and hold his hand. The last day they would laugh  
over cheap jokes and watch old movies on TV.  
  
Today, Darien was going home.  
  
Not that Serena wasn't thrilled for him. Nothing could make her happier  
than seeing her 'favourite invalid' up and about again, and she knew he  
was looking forward to it as well. But . . . she would miss their time  
together.  
  
"Hey, who am I trying to kid" she said to herself as she pulled on her  
shoes. "We'll probably still see each other at the arcade. We ran into  
each other often enough before . . . He'll go back to teasing me, and  
I'll yell at him, and he'll laugh at me just like before." She sighed.  
"Still," she added wistfully. "It was nice . . . for a while. It almost  
seemed like we were . . . friends."  
  
"Talking to yourself *again* Serena? Geez, you must be going completely  
bonkers. I guess 'Meatball Head' is more than just a nickname."  
  
Serena spun round, glaring at the young boy in her doorway. "Ooh, Sammy,  
when I get my hands on you I'll . . ." She scanned her room desperately  
for a weapon, then grabbed her hairbrush, and raced after her brother,  
holding the brush above her head. "Come back here, you little monster!"  
Halfway down the hall, a voice suddenly interrupted them, and Serena  
froze, hairbrush still held high.  
  
"Stop that infernal racket this instant! And both of you, come downstairs  
for breakfast," Serena's mother, Elaine, ordered. "Serena, stop  
threatening your brother. And Sammy, leave Serena alone."  
  
Sammy, too, had frozen, and he turned and scowled, sticking his tongue  
out at his sister before disappearing down the stairs.  
  
"You too, Serena," Elaine ordered.  
  
Serena sighed, and started for the stairs. But just as she reached the  
top, the clock on the wall caught her eye - and she realised what time it  
was. "But-Mom-I-have-to-get-down-to-the-hospital-Darien's-leaving-today-  
I-don't-want-to-miss-him-gotta-go-BYE!" she cried as she raced down the  
stairs.  
  
"SERENA!"  
  
Serena froze, her hand on the front door knob. That was *not* a tone she  
could ignore.  
  
Elaine followed her daughter down the stairs. "It seems to me, young lady,  
that you've been spending *far* too much time with this Darien boy. Now,  
you know what your father and I think about you having a boyfriend, and  
if you're going to keep seeing this boy, we're going to have to discuss  
this . . ."  
  
"MOM!" Serena screeched, turning bright red. "Darien is a total jerk!  
There's no way I would *ever* go out with him! That guy is *so* conceited!  
How could you even think that! Ew!"  
  
Elaine merely raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe you should think about why a  
'conceited jerk', as you put it, is getting so much of your attention,  
hmm?"  
  
"Mom!" Serena wailed. "There's *nothing* between me and Darien. Besides,  
he's going home today and . . . ooh! I'm gonna be *so* late! Bye Mom!"  
Elaine sighed as the door slammed, and shaking her head, went back to the  
kitchen.  
  
Outside, Serena panted down the road to the hospital, hoping she wouldn't  
miss seeing Darien. How could Mom even *think* that Darien and I would  
be . . . he's just a conceited jerk. There's no way I would ever *like*  
him . . . even if I *do* spend all my time with him . . . Do I *really*  
spend *all* my time with him? I couldn't possibly . . . well, maybe he  
isn't so bad . . . Nah, he's still a jerk, but you have to admit, he is  
cute . . . well, maybe just a little bit of a jerk . . . Ooh! Why did she  
have to go and mess with my head like that! It makes me so mad . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Darien sat in his hospital bed, pushing his cold toast around the plastic  
tray. Geez, I can't wait for Andrew to arrive. Maybe I'll get home in  
time to have a *real* breakfast today.  
  
A few days ago he had sent Andrew shopping, to pick up the necessary  
groceries for him. His friend had also been to check on his apartment and  
make sure everything was in order, so Darien would have as little to worry  
about as possible.  
  
I suppose I'll have a lot of work from collage to catch up on he  
thought with a sigh. But still, that can wait. The first thing I'm going  
to do when I get out of here (after I eat a decent meal) is go to the  
park to see the rose garden. Gosh, I've missed that. Seeing the roses in  
the sun, or just after the rain when the stems are covered in droplets  
and glistening - kind of like the way Serena's hair glistens on a sunny  
day. Like solid sunlight . . . Mmmm. Darien stared wistfully out the  
window, imagining what it would be like to run his fingers through  
Serena's hair, to breath in its warm scent, to feel it against his  
cheek . . . But a jarring note interrupted his pleasurable daydreams.  
Since his discovery of his Princess's identity four weeks ago - and  
despite the nagging feeling that he had to do so - he still hadn't told  
her how he felt.  
  
The thing was, while it was all very well for him to know how *he* felt,  
the Serena of this world was very different from the angelic figure of  
his dreams, leaving doubts to wander through his mind as to the  
authenticity of his Princess's feelings. In his dreams, his Princess had  
been confident, wise and self assured. His Serena was certainly not the  
same person, though she bore the soul of the Princess within her - so  
would she share the love that that dream-figure had expressed? Or would  
she just laugh at the whole crazy idea? Telling her how he felt would be,  
in the end, like jumping not just into the deep end of the pool, but more  
like jumping into the middle of the ocean. He didn't like the idea of  
drowning . . .  
  
His thoughts were interrupted suddenly as the door was pushed open, and a  
blond head appeared around it.  
  
"Morning!" Serena called as she bounced into the room, and as usual,  
Darien's heat skipped a beat. ...so beautiful...  
  
"You're up awfully early, today," Darien said, with a smile. "I'm  
surprised the nurses let you in."  
  
Serena grinned mischievously. "Well, they didn't actually let me in. Me  
and the girls have been sneaking past that ogre at the front desk every  
day for a month." She giggled. "She's tried to stop us every single time,  
but she hasn't managed it yet."  
  
Darien's grin deepened, and he shook his head. "You and your friends must  
be giving the nurses hell! They must be glad to get rid of me, so you'll  
leave them alone."  
  
Serena feigned a pout. "Hey, it's not my fault if *they* all want to be  
grumpy. Besides, *someone* has to make sure you're being looked after."  
Darien's eyes open wide at that remark, and a faint blush touched his  
cheeks, as he warmed to the idea. Does she . . . could she . . . care  
for me? Serena didn't notice his surprise, however, as she continued her  
bubbly chatter, but suddenly Darien wasn't listening.  
  
He was much more absorbed by the inner battle that had suddenly begun to  
rage in his mind. Should he tell her how he felt? Could he? But try as he  
might, the words locked in his throat before he could get them out. He  
had fought this battle with himself hundreds of times over the weeks,  
losing every time to the same pathetic fear that gripped him now.  
  
And assuredly, he was cursing himself for it. Even if he did ever manage  
to talk to her, she would deserve so much more than him. Even after all  
this time, her generosity still amazed him. He had done nothing for her -  
*nothing* - and in return for his failings, she had given him life - she  
wasn't just the brightness in his days - it was thanks to her that his  
heart was still beating in his chest. Was that what it meant to be a  
Princess? he wondered. To give life to another without wanting it back?  
She had done so much for him and . . . he cringed . . . he hadn't even  
said thank you . . .  
  
"Oh, I brought you some roses." Serena startled him back to the present,  
holding up the bunch of red flowers. He looked surprised, and, privately,  
angry at having found yet another reason to hate himself - and love her -  
but Serena mistook his astonishment for displeasure.  
  
"I know you're going home today, so they're not much good to you here,  
but I thought you could take them with you, or whatever . . ." she  
trailed off, suddenly seeing him not as a friend, but back in the role of  
the disdainful collage student - someone above her, who didn't want to  
bother with a foolish, clumsy girl.  
  
She dropped her gaze to the floor in embarrassment, her eyes flitting  
across the room in nervous movements. Darien, surprised and slightly  
alarmed at her sudden change of mood, went into a silent panic. No, my  
Princess. Don't stop smiling. Whatever I did, I'm sorry . . .  
Desperately, he changed the subject, blurting out the first thing that  
came to mind.  
  
"How's school been lately?" Idiot! he thought as he cringed inwardly.  
Bad choice.  
  
Serena looked down, a faint blush tainting her cheeks. "We, er, we got  
our math test back on Friday. I, um . . . I kinda failed," she mumbled.  
"Mom cancelled my allowance for this week because of it." She blushed  
deeper. Why did you have to tell him *that*? Now he's going to tease  
you, and you'll get mad, and . . . oh please don't tease me, Darien, I  
don't want . . .  
  
"Well, it's not the end of the world. You'll just have to study harder  
next time."  
  
Serena opened her mouth with prepared retaliation to the insult, but  
before she had uttered a word, she realised what he had actually said.  
What? He's not . . . he's not going to tease me? She looked up sharply  
at Darien.  
  
But he had turned away, and was now facing the clock hanging on the wall.  
"Andrew should be here any minute," he commented to no one in particular,  
but it caused Serena to glance up at the clock as well. 8:50.  
  
Suddenly, her eyes opened wide. Oh no! I completely forgot! Scout  
meeting at 9:00! I'll be late! "Oh no!!" She leapt out of her chair,  
startling Darien. "I'm really sorry, Darien, but I have to go. I forgot I  
have a sc . . ." She stopped. Oops. I almost said a scout meeting!! "I  
have to, er, meet some friends now. I'm gonna be *so* late!"  
  
Darien couldn't hide his grin as the blond girl dashed out of the room in  
a panic, calling "Bye Darien" over her shoulder.  
  
"Bye, Serena." He replied. "Don't run into anything!"  
  
Then, to his surprise, his door opened again, and Serena stood in the  
doorway, fidgeting slightly.  
  
You idiot! Darien cursed himself. Not even out of hospital, and you're  
already teasing her again.  
  
"Serena, I'm sor . . ." he started to say, but she beat him to it.  
"Darien, just before I go, could I ask you one question? I was gonna ask  
you before, but I forgot."  
  
He hesitated in surprise, then nodded. "Yeah, of course."  
  
"I was just wondering . . ." she mumbled nervously, her feet unable to  
stay quite still, "You haven't . . . you haven't called me Meatball Head  
once since the acc . . . I mean since you were . . . I was just wondering  
why not." She trailed off.  
  
Good grief. How do I explain this one? he asked himself. But Darien was  
nothing if not an expert at evasion, and the answer came to him without  
too much trouble. "Serena, you've been a great help to me over the past  
few weeks." He replied. Coward his inner voice muttered angrily, but he  
silenced it. "I thought it would be in bad taste to make fun of an angel,"  
he finished, with a shrug, and a crooked smile.  
  
That smile hit Serena like a small explosion. She suddenly felt trapped,  
as she was forced to stare into those perfect blue eyes, and her knees  
weakened. Then she felt her cheeks redden, and looked hastily away from  
him. "I, er, I haven't done that much." she stuttered. "Just sit and play  
card games and . . ."  
  
"Believe me, Serena, you have done a lot." Darien's voice was soft and  
low, sending shivers through her spine. "You were there for me when I  
needed you." He trailed into silence then, suddenly too shy to continue -  
certainly too shy to say what he really meant. Steeling himself, he tried  
again. "I want . . . to tell you I need you . . . I wanted to say . . .  
I Love You. . . . to-say-thank-you-for-saving-my-life." He blurted out,  
then blushed faintly. "I know I haven't always been too nice to you, but  
I want you to know I really am very grateful." He looked at her anxiously,  
his eyes pleading for her to understand what he meant.  
  
Serena returned a tentative smile, utterly bewildered as to how to  
respond. To her inexperienced eyes, Darien suddenly looked very young,  
his stormy eyes clouded by uncertainty, and Serena was suddenly reminded  
of the first day she had come here, when she had sat by Darien's bed and  
thought how upside down the whole world had been when Darien wasn't in it.  
She bit her lips, but when she started to speak, the words that came out  
were not the ones she wanted to say. "I'm sorry Darien, but I *really*  
have to go now I'm glad you're feeling better I'll see you 'round, okay,  
say hi to Andrew for me," she finished in a rush, her feet taking her out  
the door even before she knew what was happening. As she raced down the  
corridor, she glanced at her watch. Ooh, Rei is gonna kill me!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A little while later, Darien sat on the edge of his bed, with his right  
arm in a sling and his packed bags by his side. Outside his window, the  
trees were swaying in the wind, and he fidgeted impatiently. Oh, he  
couldn't wait to be outside, walking in the park, sitting under those  
trees with their leaves so green and alive and the scent of flowers in  
his head. He closed his eyes and sighed. Ah, he could almost smell the  
roses now . . .  
  
"Hey, you're looking mighty happy there."  
  
Darien looked round. "Andrew! Are you kidding? Of course I'm happy. I'm  
just waiting for Dr. Forres to come and sign my discharge papers, then we  
can get out of here."  
  
Andrew grinned "Excellent! Listen, I checked your apartment yesterday,  
and watered the plants again. Everything else is fine, 'cept for a bit of  
dust, but you'll probably have that cleaned in a matter of minutes. That  
place is so neat, it's unbelievable. Oh, and while I remember, did you  
hear what happened at the arcade the other day?" Darien shook his head.  
"Oh boy! Two of the guys decided they were going to fight over a girl and  
had a punch up in the middle of the arcade. You should have seen it! That  
was wild. They broke two of the games! I though I was gonna have to call  
the police for a minute, but . . ." He paused. Darien was staring musily  
out the window, a lopsided smile playing at the corners of his mouth.  
"But the pink bunnies decided they didn't want to have tea with the mad  
hatter after all."  
  
"Hmm, good." Darien replied, staring out the window.  
  
"Yo, Dare?"  
  
Darien looked round. "Hm? What was that?"  
  
"Ah, never mind." Andrew sat back again, waving a hand at Darien. "Let me  
know when you've got her out of your head."  
  
"Eh?" Darien sat up straight. "What do you mean?"  
  
Andrew grinned. "You were thinking about that girl again, weren't you?"  
He leant forward expectantly. "So, who is she."  
  
"Andrew!" Darien cried, exasperated. "Would you leave off all the 'you're  
thinking about a girl' stuff? You've been at it every second day for  
weeks now! It's driving me nuts!"  
  
Andrew grinned, and shrugged slyly. "Well, you *were* thinking about  
her."  
  
Darien scowled at him, and turned back to the window. "So?" he said  
quietly.  
  
Andrew's jaw dropped. "You mean you really were?!"  
  
Darien eyed him reproachfully. "I though we had already established that."  
Andrew's voice became lower. "Who is she?"  
  
Surprisingly, Darien laughed. It sounded almost bitter. "You wouldn't  
believe me if I told you."  
  
"But who . . . do I know her? How long have you know her? Where did you  
meet her?"  
  
"Andrew, I'm not going to . . ."  
  
"Darien Chiba?"  
  
Darien turned to the door. "Dr. Forres."  
  
The doctor smiled. "I've got your papers right here, Mr. Chiba, so you  
can be on your way as soon as you like."  
  
Darien jumped up, taking the paperwork eagerly. "Great. Thanks a lot,  
Doctor. Andrew? Let's get out of here."  
  
  
  
Darien stared out the window of his best friend's station wagon, the  
streets going by in a blur of grey. Andrew watched his friend furtively,  
his eyes darting between him and the road, while he pondered the  
astonishing, if not impossible fact that Darien was in love. Whoever she  
is, she must be something special he thought in wonder.  
  
But somehow, he found it difficult to be happy for Darien. Instead, he  
was worried. To his knowledge, Darien had never been in love before, and  
if their conversation in the hospital was anything to go by, he was not  
adjusting well to the experience now.  
  
The entire drive was done in silence, and as Andrew pulled up by the  
curb, outside Darien's apartment block, he wondered what he could say to  
help. Grabbing the few bags from the trunk, he asked, "Do you want me to  
come up with you? If you need any help with anything. . ."  
  
But Darien shook his head. "No thanks. I'll be fine."  
  
Had it been anyone else, Andrew would have insisted on helping. But  
Darien was different. His independence was very important to him -  
probably due to his upbringing - and if Andrew tried to interfere, he  
would just get annoyed.  
  
He watched as Darien picked up the bags, all the time thinking he really  
should try to offer him some kind of advice. Darien had less idea about  
how to be in love than a fish did about how to fly.  
  
"Darien?" he said suddenly, as his friend was about to leave. Darien  
turned, raising an eyebrow quizzically. Andrew looked at him for a  
moment. "Look, I, er . . . I know it's probably not my place to  
interfere, but whoever this girl is . . ." Darien's eyes widened for an  
instant. "I think you should tell her how you feel. I've been with Rita  
long enough to know something about love - in fact, Rita taught me  
everything I know - and believe me, you'll regret it if you don't."  
  
Darien looked at his friend with something between sorrow and disdain.  
Then he shook his head. "Sorry, Andrew, but it's just not that simple."  
  
His friend shrugged. "It never is."  
  
Darien's eyes flashed with anger. "I don't think you can just pass this  
off as any other every-day romance. She's something special, and I . . ."  
  
"Darien, do you think you're the first person in the world to fall in  
love?" Andrew interrupted "Everyone - *everyone* - has to take that risk  
at some point in their lives. If love was simple, it wouldn't make your  
heart pound, or your head spin, or stop your feet touching the ground for  
weeks on end. That's what makes it so special."  
  
Darien didn't reply. He stared at the pavement, running a hand through  
his black hair - something he always did when he was upset.  
  
"Darien. I've known you for a long time. And I know that you fear being  
hurt more than anything in the world." Darien's eyes flashed an angry  
warning at his friend, but Andrew ignored it. "The truth is, Darien, that  
love *does* hurt. There's no two ways about it. But in the end, whether  
you win or lose, it *is* worth the risk."  
  
Darien shook his head stubbornly. "I don't know about that. Andrew," he  
said softly. "I know you love Rita, but you just can't understand what  
this woman means to me. I couldn't stand it if she said no. I would just  
die. So I figure, maybe it's better not knowing. Maybe I can live the  
rest of my life just hoping that she *might* love me, and then she'll  
never have the chance to say no. I think it might be better that  
way . . ." he trailed off. Oh Princess! Serena. Could I live without  
you? Without your smile, your touch, your warmth . . . your love . . .  
  
"No, Darien." Andrew insisted quietly. "For some people, just having hope  
can be enough. But not for you. I know I can't tell you what to do.  
That's something you'll have to decide yourself. But in the end, win or  
lose, Darien, you *are* in love. And there's *nothing* you can do to  
change that." Without waiting for a reply, Andrew got back into his car,  
and drove away, leaving a surprised, and very confused Darien staring  
after him.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
In the slow days that followed, Darien found it was not as hard as he  
expected to get back into his old routine - go to collage, study, eat,  
sleep, worry about his job - his broken arm and aching leg slowed him  
down very little, except for whenever he tried to cook. That was a near  
disaster. In the end, he gave up, and bought a huge pile of instant  
microwave dinners. He had almost thrown the lot out when he tried the  
first one - disgusting things, they were, almost as bad as hospital  
food - but in the end he had admitted it was better than anything *he*  
could cook in his current condition, and so had persevered. And with  
catching up his collage work, he found he had quite enough to do to keep  
his mind occupied for the most part, to keep his quiet thoughts from  
drifting back to Serena, to her hair, to how much he missed her smile,  
the way her laugh used to light up the room, how she had klutzed out in  
that adorable way every five minutes . . . who was he trying to kid. She  
was always - *always* - on his mind.  
  
As he had promised himself, he had gone to the rose gardens when he got  
out of hospital, but it had been a waste of time in the end. The silk  
petals and sweet scent only reminded him of Serena, how beautiful she  
was, how wonderfully generous and light hearted - all the things that  
were currently beyond his reach, and assuredly, he was hitting himself  
for it. Now he was out of hospital, he wasn't seeing her very often, and  
his chances of telling her how he felt were more remote than ever.  
Was Andrew right, he wondered sadly? Was love worth the risk? Love had  
done nothing for him so far but cause him pain. What was the point of love  
if all it did was hurt people? Hurt him? And if it *was* worth it, what if  
he had left it too long, and already missed his chance at love? The  
thoughts jumbled in a mash of confusion. He simply didn't know the answers.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Serena dragged her feet as she rounded the corner to the arcade. I wonder  
if Darien's going to be here today she thought. But she sadly dismissed  
the idea when she had scarcely thought it. He was never at the arcade  
these days. It was nearly a week since he had left the hospital, and she  
hadn't seen him once. I wonder why we don't run into each other like we  
used to. She giggled despite herself. It's probably a good thing, with  
his arm still in a sling. Still, it was hard not to wonder . . .  
  
The doors of the arcade slid open, and Serena slouched through, plopping  
down in front of a Sailor V game. But she didn't reach for a quarter to  
play the game. She just sat there, staring at the flickering screen in  
disappointment.  
  
From behind the counter, Andrew looked up, and frowned in alarm as he saw  
Serena, staring numbly at the game. She had been quiet lately, but today  
she seemed particularly upset, and he thought it was about time he found  
out what was bothering her.  
  
"Hey, how's my favourite customer?" he asked cheerfully, hoping it would  
brighten her a little.  
  
Serena looked up and smiled when she saw Andrew, but the smile was  
short-lived. "Hi Andrew. I'm okay." she replied, then lapsed into silence,  
staring at the still inactive game. Andrew frowned again, changing his  
tack. He pulled up a stool next to the sullen girl, and perched on it.  
  
"Hey, girl. What's wrong. There isn't much that can get you down. It must  
be something big."  
  
Serena shrugged. "Oh, I was just thinking." She looked around suddenly.  
"This place looks kind of empty today. Is business down, or something?"  
Andrew looked around. There seemed the usual number of customers to him.  
Why would Serena think . . . Suddenly a light went of in Andrew's head. It  
*was* kind of empty . . . without Darien!  
  
"It has been a bit quiet," he answered slyly. "I haven't seen Darien here  
all week."  
  
Serena perked up immediately. "Really? I was just wondering how he is. Do  
you know if he's okay? I never see him around any more."  
  
Andrew smiled gently. So you *do* miss him. "He's okay. He's just been  
really busy lately, catching up with collage, and things. I'm sure he'll  
be back in here before the end of the week."  
  
"Yeah?" A smile graced Serena's lips for the first time in days. "You  
think so?"  
  
Andrew nodded. "For sure. But you know," he continued, "he said to me  
earlier this week that he was having a hard time getting by at home. It's  
not easy with one arm in a sling, and I don't have time to help him much,  
what with running the arcade, and collage and all." He paused, but Serena  
didn't take the bait. He pressed on. "I bet he'd like it if you went over  
and gave him a hand," he finished, a hopeful look on his face.  
  
But Serena didn't have the reaction he'd expected. "Oh no, I couldn't do  
that. I'd probably just get in his way. He's probably really busy. I  
couldn't help him that much anyway. I'd probably just end up making a  
mess. I don't want to bother him."  
  
Andrew was dumbfounded. This was the last thing he had expected.  
"Serena? Don't . . . don't you want to see him? I just thought, after all  
the time you spent with him in hospital you would . . ."  
  
"Oh that." Serena laughed somewhat dryly. "Well yeah, when he was in  
hospital it was fine, but now he's home, and after all, he's in collage,  
he can take care of himself. I'm just a kid still, and he doesn't need  
*my* help any more." Serena stopped rambling finally, and stared at the  
floor, her cheeks flushed red.  
  
Andrew gaped at her. What could he say? He hated seeing her this down.  
Quickly, he slid over to the counter, grabbing a piece of paper and a  
pen, scribbling something down. Returning to Serena, he handed her the  
paper.  
  
She looked down. An address was written on it - one she didn't recognise -  
and she looked up at Andrew, confused.  
  
"It's only a couple of block away," he said slyly. "And Darien's always  
home right about now."  
  
Serena looked up at him shyly, biting her lip. "You really think he'd  
want to see me?"  
  
Andrew grinned. "I know he would."  
  
She stared thoughtfully at the scrap of paper. Then a slow smile spread  
across her lips. "Okay. See ya later, Andrew." she called back, as she  
literally bounced out the arcade doors. "And thanks!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Darien sat on a bench in the park, humming tunelessly to himself. Dozens  
of multicoloured roses stared back at him from the flower beds, their  
sweet scent tickling his senses. The sun glittered brightly on the  
delicate petals, a golden caress on scented silk.  
  
But Darien stared blindly past his favourite flowers; they meant little  
to him at the moment. The sun beat warmly on the rose petals, on the  
gravel path, and on his hunched shoulders, but he still felt cold.  
He had pushed her away so many times now, so many stupid times he had  
backed away, afraid of being hurt. But now he realised that he had been  
wrong, that it wouldn't have hurt any more than the dull, constant ache  
within him now. It was worse, this way, because he knew this pain  
wouldn't go away. It would keep pressing on him all the time, until it  
either drove him insane, or forced him to admit his feelings for her, his  
feelings for the golden Princess that destiny said was already his. He  
bit his lip. How would destiny know . . . ?  
  
And if he exposed his soul for her to see, she would stare at him  
with those crystalline eyes and . . . and . . . and do what? Laugh? Cry?  
Throw herself joyfully into his arms? Hardly likely. He closed his weary  
eyes and sighed.  
  
Like they had that first day out of the hospital, when he had come to see  
their long anticipated perfection, the roses mocked him. Serena's face,  
her hair, her eyes, all winked at him from among the glistening stems,  
chiding the confused man into an ever deepening loneliness. Though he had  
never laid a finger on it, he was convinced that her hair would smell  
like roses, were he to bury his face in its warmth.  
  
But he was equally convinced that, were he to ever try such an intimate  
act, he would bear the brunt of her cold rejection as she laughed at his  
unchecked emotions. And yet as each opportunity slipped by, he fell  
harder into his love for her, his fear tying knots in his own version of  
destiny.  
  
He closed his eyes, leaning back on the wooden bench. I wonder where she  
is now . . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Serena rapped loudly on the apartment door, hoping, for the second time,  
for the answer that wasn't going to come. He wasn't home. Strangely, that  
dull fact was laced with implicit meanings - he wasn't home because he  
didn't want to see her - he didn't want her to throw herself at him so  
he'd be forced to push her away. Or perhaps he was simply too busy to  
bother with her.  
  
Serena felt very foolish. For a moment, she had actually believed Andrew  
when he said Darien needed her, needed her help. Darien was strong and  
smart and independent. Not like her . . .  
  
Serena tensed like a trapped rabbit, suddenly afraid that the door  
*would* open, and Darien would stand there and tell her to leave, that  
she was only going to get in his way. She started to back away from the  
door. Maybe . . . maybe if she just left now, he would never know she was  
there, and she would never have to see him laugh at her foolishness, and  
they could just see each other at the arcade one day, and he would tease  
her, and she could yell at him, just like they always had. Yes, like it  
had always been. So close, yet so far away. Just like always.  
  
With hot tears in her eyes, Serena turned and ran desperately back down  
the corridor.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Several days later, Serena was leaning lazily against the counter at the  
arcade, chewing idly on the straw in her chocolate shake. A little way  
away from her, Andrew was wiping the counter, sending curious looks in the  
girl's direction every now and then.  
  
She had been sitting in the exact same place for half an hour now, just  
staring into space. As he watched, a dark frown creased her brow, then  
suddenly, it was gone, replaced by a faint smile tugged at the corner of  
her mouth. Then, just as quickly, the frown was back again. Strange.  
She slowly sucked on the straw, hardly noticing that its now mangled end  
didn't let her drink much, and idly went back to chewing it instead.  
"Hey, Serena! How's my angel today?"  
  
The young girl looked up in surprise. "Darien! I didn't expect to see you  
here."  
  
"Serena, what sort of greeting is that?" Andrew asked teasingly, coming to  
join them. "Hey, Darien."  
  
Serena blushed, suddenly feeling very foolish. "Sorry, Darien. I just  
didn't think ywds shws tsd. . ." The rest of the sentence was mumbled too  
much for him to hear, as Serena went back to chewing her straw, slouching  
down against the counter.  
  
"So Darien. How's the arm?" Andrew asked, breaking the awkward silence  
that had descended on them.  
  
That got a smile. "Great! I get the cast off tomorrow. It's been itching  
like crazy."  
  
Andrew grinned. "I bet you're looking forward to that! Oh, excuse me,  
guys," he added, as another customer waited at the counter.  
  
Darien turned to Serena, expecting her usual cheerfulness, or at least a  
smile. But she simply stared at the wall behind the counter, the mangled  
straw hanging from her lips.  
  
"Hey, Serena. Are you okay? You seem a little down."  
  
She turned to him, a smile instantly glowing on her face. "Nope. I'm great.  
Nothing's wrong at all. How are you? Getting around okay? If you ever have  
any problems with your arm or anything, just ask, okay? I'd be happy to  
help."  
  
Darien returned her smile easily. This was the Serena he knew. But his  
smile faded slightly, as he saw that hers didn't reach her eyes.  
  
"Thanks Serena, but like I said, I'm getting the cast off tomorrow. Thanks  
anyway."  
  
Serena shrugged. "No big deal." I knew it. He *doesn't* need me. Not at  
all.  
  
Darien stared at his hands for a moment, wondering what to say next. In  
all the weeks at the hospital, they had never had an awkward silence. It  
was strange that they should now. Darien wondered if he had done  
something to upset her. She's usually so cheerful. What could have  
gotten her so down? Oh, how can I make you smile, my Princess?  
"Serena, I've been wanting to tell you something. I think you're the  
most . . ." Serena turned to look at him, her bright blue eyes paralysing  
his mind, and thus the words on his lips, as his throat tightened and he  
suddenly found it hard to breath.  
  
"What was that, Darien?" she asked, unconsciously mesmerising the  
suddenly flustered young man, as he stared at her full, pink lips, and  
lost control of his imagination.  
  
"I just wanted to say ... well, I know I've said this before, but thank  
you for saving my life. I owe you more than you realise. Thank you." He  
barely knew what he was saying, the words flowing almost on their own as  
he tried to gather his scattered thoughts together. That was close! How  
could I do that! What do I say now? Uh, think!  
  
"So, Darien, can I get you something?" Andrew asked, surprised to find a  
very relieved-looking Darien staring back at him.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Um, coffee, thanks, Andrew," he managed to stutter, grateful  
for once that Serena didn't seem inclined to talk to him any more. She had  
turned back to her drink, and was in the midst of a frustrated battle with  
her straw.  
  
"So, how's Rita been?" Darien inquired. Andrew was still head over heals  
for Rita - he would talk about her all day if you asked him to - and as  
predicted, he didn't notice the sudden change of subject.  
  
"Oh, she's great. She just finished her latest project. She feels she did  
really well on this one. It's just in time too. It's our two year  
anniversary next week, so we can celebrate both things at once," Andrew  
beamed.  
  
"Two years! Really?" Darien was genuinely impressed. I wonder if I'll  
ever celebrate two years with Serena . . . "You got her something  
special, right?"  
  
Andrew grinned. "Yes, of course. Here, I'll show you." Reaching into his  
pocket, he pulled out a small blue box, opening it to reveal an exquisite  
ring, small rubies arranged in a heart shape on a gold band. Darien  
raised one eyebrow. "*Very* nice! Expensive, isn't it?"  
  
Andrew shrugged. "She's worth it."  
  
Serena had perked up by this time. "Ooh, wow! Can I see, Andrew?"  
"Sure." Andrew handed the box to her over the counter, but as she reached  
for it, her sleave caught the edge of her glass, and before she could even  
make a grab for it, chocolate milk went sloshing across the counter,  
thankfully missing Serena or Darien, but making one big mess. As she  
watched in horror, it began dripping down the side of the counter,  
pooling on the floor.  
  
"Oh no, I'm *so* sorry, Andrew, I didn't mean to do that, I'll help you  
clean it up, okay? I'm really sorry," she babbled, automatically going  
into 'apology mode'. Grabbing a cloth from Andrew, she started wiping  
furiously, trying to contain the spreading puddle.  
  
Darien barely managed to contain his grin as he also grabbed a cloth,  
successfully stopping the dribble onto the floor. As he did, he stole a  
glance at Serena. The embarrassed flush on her cheeks made her look *so*  
cute. It had been a while since she had klutzed out like this. It's just  
so *her* he thought in bliss. I wonder if she'll always be like this. I  
hope she never changes.  
  
Serena cringed when she saw the smile on his face, and wiped harder at  
the pool of milk. He's laughing at me. He thinks I'm a klutz. I know he  
does. She blushed deeper, refusing to meet the gaze she knew he was  
directing at her. It's not fair. I didn't mean to do it. Don't tease me,  
Darien. Please don't tease me. I know I'm a klutz. Just don't tease  
me . . .  
  
"Hey, don't worry, Serena. I'll buy you another one." Darien smiled,  
amused at her embarrassment. She was just so adorable! But Serena didn't  
smile, or even look up at him. She just stared at the wet counter.  
  
"What? Oh, no, that's all right. I'm just a klutz, that's all. I have to  
get going now anyway." she muttered to the floor, still avoiding his gaze.  
  
Darien's smile faded. "Hey, it wasn't your fault. You couldn't help  
spilling it. Come on, I'll buy you one, no problem." His concerned eyes  
remained fixed on her, waiting for a reply.  
  
Serena bit her lip, her jaw set and her eyes tearful. "Yeah, I couldn't  
help it, could I?" she muttered, her voice cold. "I can't help being a  
klutz, can I?" Why do you always have to tease me for it, Darien? You  
can't just leave me alone. You're always teasing me ...  
  
"Darien, you are such a jerk!" She yelled suddenly. "Just leave me alone!"  
Grabbing her bag, she raced for the door, barely missing a customer on his  
way in. She tripped over her own feet in the process, but managed to  
regain her balance before falling, and ran out the door.  
  
Darien watched her run away, his jaw hanging open in shock. What just  
happened there ...? What did I do so wrong? Please, Serena, don't run away  
from me ... He looked up, and saw that Andrew was likewise affected.  
"What the ...?" Andrew just shook his head.  
  
Outside, Serena fought back tears as she hurried down the street. Great.  
Just great. Now he'll think I'm a *complete* klutz. I can't even take a  
drink without spilling it everywhere. I saw the look in his eyes. He was  
just trying not to laugh at me. He is *such* a jerk.  
The tears spilled over, and she broke into a run.  
  
"So, er ... how's ... how's things?" Andrew asked. Awkward silences had  
always seemed especially awkward to him.  
Darien looked fuzzily around the room. "Uh, yeah, okay." He tried to  
gather his thoughts and say something intelligent. "So, er, nice ring. I'm  
sure Rita will love it." he said in a flat voice.  
Andrew smiled in relief. "Yeah? Really? I wasn't sure if it was her type  
of thing, you know? But if you think she'll like it ..."  
  
Darien tried to answer Andrew as he chatted on, but his mind was  
screaming. He felt a dull coldness inside himself. He saw Andrew was  
chuckling over something, and tried to smile, but he felt like going and  
crawling into a hole somewhere. He had no idea what he had done wrong,  
but it had made his Princess cry ...  
  
Andrew paused in his monologue, as he realised that Darien wasn't  
listening. He had been spacing out more and more often lately, especially  
since he had gotten out of hospital. Andrew sighed. I knew this was going  
to cause problems, he thought wryly. He knew without asking that Darien  
was thinking about this mysterious love of his again. Nothing else could  
get him down that much. Andrew thought it was very unhealthy. He seemed  
to spend all his time obsessing over this woman, and had almost no  
interest in anything else. For goodness sake, he didn't even tease Serena  
any more.  
  
Suddenly, Andrew stopped, a bizarre combination of thoughts fusing in his  
mind. Darien didn't tease Serena any more. Serena had stayed by his side  
almost all the time he was in hospital. Serena had saved his life. Darien  
was in love with a mystery woman.  
  
In a blinding flash, it all came together, and Andrew had to laugh at the  
absolute madness of it all. Darien was in love with Serena!  
  
A look of amazed incredulity was plastered to Andrew's face for a moment.  
Sure, a lot of weird things happened where Darien was concerned, but this?  
Two people as different as those two, falling in love? It was just too  
bizarre. Yet, in a strange and twisted way, it made a heck of a lot of  
sense. And after Serena's little display a few minutes ago, he would bet  
anything that she felt the same way.  
  
Determined to get his friend out of that blind daze, Andrew sidled up to  
him, a quirky expression on his face. "Hey Darien?"  
  
Darien looked up - and froze at the look on Andrew's face. It was a look  
full of mischief and cunning. Not a good thing. "What?" he asked  
cautiously.  
  
"I just figured it out," Andrew stated triumphantly.  
  
Darien stared at him in confusion. "Figured *what* out, dare I ask?"  
  
Andrew grinned. "You're in love with Serena." Andrew had never seen anyone  
turn so utterly white so quickly.  
  
"For goodness sake, Andrew, don't tell her."  
  
He raised his eyebrows. "Woah, Darien, don't go having a fit. I was just  
teasing."  
  
Darien looked around frantically, hoping, praying no one had heard what he  
had said.  
  
"Please, Andrew. You can't tell her."  
  
Andrew held up his hands. "Okay, okay. I won't. I promise." He looked at  
his friend critically. "You're really hung up on her, aren't you?"  
  
Darien looked at him without answering for a moment, then looked down. He  
nodded slightly. Of course I am. She's my Princess . . . If only I could  
tell her . . .  
  
"Why don't you tell her? She's a great girl, Darien. I'm sure she'd . . ."  
  
"Yeah right, Andrew." Darien scowled at him. "You can't just walk up to a  
girl, hand her a bunch of roses and say 'Hi, remember me? We used to hate  
each other. Will you go out with me?'"  
  
Andrew frowned at him. "Has it ever occurred to you that she might  
actually care about you? I mean, she spent a lot of time with you while  
you were in hospital. Don't you think that means anything?" he asked  
seriously.  
  
Darien scowled, a look that was on his face so often these days. "There's  
a big difference between visiting someone in hospital, and falling love  
with them. Besides, what would she see in a guy like me? I've done nothing  
for her. She has no reason to look twice at me."  
  
Andrew shook his head. "Darien, you are so stubborn!" How was he supposed  
to get through to him?  
  
Then suddenly . . . "You know what I think?" he asked, his tone suddenly  
changing.  
  
Darien looked like he was at the end of his patience. "What?!?"  
"I think you two need to be set up."  
  
Darien literally leapt out of his seat. "No! Andrew, no way! It is *not*  
happening."  
  
"Well how else are you going to get together? I mean, *you're* hardly  
going to say anything, are you? And you do such a good job of intimidating  
Serena, she's never going to ask you out. Something has to be done."  
  
"Andrew, no!" Darien was getting desperate. "You can't interfere. Please!"  
  
Andrew held up his hands defensively. "Hey, Dare, I'm only trying to do  
what's best for you. I can see this is driving you nuts," he went on,  
quite calmly, while Darien quietly threw a fit.  
  
"Andrew, stay out of it!"  
  
The blond man shrugged. "*Someone* has to talk to her . . ."  
  
"Okay, *I'll* talk to her." Darien interrupted. "Just stay out of it, all  
right? I'll talk to her."  
  
Andrew looked at him sideways. "You will? Promise?"  
  
Darien was too worked up to even notice he was being set up. "Yeah, I  
will. Promise."  
  
"All right." Andrew didn't sound convinced. "But if you don't I'm gonna  
have to do something about it."  
  
"Don't worry, Andrew. I'll talk to her." Hang on a minute. He would? Yeah,  
Darien suddenly realised. He would.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Darien leaned against the railing around the lake, staring into its cool  
blue water intently.  
  
It had been three days since his conversation with Andrew, and he was  
running out of time to talk to Serena before Andrew started getting in the  
way. The trouble was, he just couldn't find an opportunity to talk to her.  
Every time he saw her, she was always with her friends, or talking to  
Andrew, even when he went out of his way to find her. Which he did quite  
often. Andrew had tried to give them some space at the arcade, but it was  
kind of difficult to have a serious conversation with a girl who kept  
yelling 'Jump! Gotcha that time, you creep!' into a Sailor V game. So here  
he was now, hoping to 'bump into' Serena on her way home from school. She  
had a habit of taking a detour through the park on sunny days, and - trust  
his luck - the last three days had been raining, or at least very overcast.  
This is ridiculous Darien thought to himself for the twenty fourth time  
in three days. This is just plain stupid. I'm acting like a hormone driven  
adolescent. 'Just go to her house and talk to her', a little voice inside  
his head said. But he couldn't. What if she said no? It would just be too  
embarrassing.  
  
"If you don't blink soon, you'll turn into a frog." A female voice  
interrupted his silent self-chiding.  
  
He turned in surprise. "Serena! Er . . .hi."  
  
"What were you staring at?"  
  
Darien looked back at the lake, then back at Serena, then back at the lake.  
"Um, nothing."  
  
Serena's look darkened for an instant as she saw Darien's characteristic  
frown return. For a second, when she arrived, he had looked . . . well,  
happy. He's too serious all the time she thought sadly. Someone should  
cheer him up. At that thought, a wicked gleam entered her eyes. The  
mischievous sprite in her mind started working overtime, and a millisecond  
later, Serena had her idea. All she needed was a prop.  
  
Then she spied it - a small piece of paper, poking out of Darien's back  
pocket.  
  
"What's this?" she asked innocently, taking the paper.  
  
Darien looked round, and realised, to his horror, what she had.  
A single line of poetry was written on the page, something he had come  
across the last time he was at the library. A line which expressed his  
feelings for her. Private feelings. Something he could *not* let her read.  
He made a grab for it.  
  
But Serena was ready, and pulled it out of his reach. She didn't even  
bother to unfold the paper - just teased him with it. "What is it?" she   
asked again. She turned away from him, so he had to reach around her to   
get the paper, but she only twisted away again.  
  
"Give it back! Serena, this isn't funny."  
  
He tried to reach the paper again, but she pulled away, so he put both his  
arms around her at once, hoping to restrain her, but she merely ducked  
under them. Next time, though, he was quicker.  
  
Catching her in his arms, he laughed as she struggled against him. Her  
writhing body against him felt like electric torture! Oh, what random  
twist of fate had led him to this?  
  
"Serena, stop it!" he cried at the squirming girl, and for an instant,  
she ceased her struggle.  
  
He grabbed the opportunity, and snatched the paper out of her hands.  
Tucking it safely away, he looked down at her in bemusement. "What was  
that for?"  
  
Serena giggled softly, and shrugged. "I just wanted to get a smile out of  
you. You always look so serious."  
  
Darien looked down, and blushed deeply. She wanted me to smile?!?  
Serena smiled gently. He's so cute when he blushes. Then she, too, felt  
her cheeks turning red. He was still holding her in a loose hug . . .  
Darien gazed down at the angel . . . no, the Princess in his arms, in  
wonder. She wanted me to smile. Could she . . . maybe . . . care for me?  
Darien took a deep breath, realising this was the best opportunity he was  
likely to get. "Serena, could I . . . tell you something? Something I've  
been wanting to tell you for a long time."  
  
Serena raised her eyebrows, then opened her mouth to protest. He was just  
going to thank her again, and tell her she had saved his life. Serena  
thought too much praise would only give her a big head. "Darien, you don't  
have to keep . . ."  
  
"Just listen, will you!?" Darien's nerve almost cracked.  
  
Serena stared at him, then nodded mutely.  
  
"Since you . . . you've helped me so much, and you've been there for me  
in a way that no one else has ever been. And lately I . . . I've  
realised . . ." The words caught in his throat.  
  
No. He shook his head. I have to say this. I have to get this out.  
He tried again. "I've realised how much you mean to me. I know we've had  
our differences in the past, but how would you feel if . . . if we could  
be . . . more than friends?" he finished breathlessly. Not the smoothest  
it could have been, but . . .  
  
Serena's jaw dropped in astonishment! Her head was spinning. What is going  
on?? Could he actually . . .care for me? Suddenly, it felt so right, held  
in his arms, his warmth next to her . . . but this was *Darien*! The guy  
who teased her and laughed at her. The guy who mocked all her efforts to  
do *anything*. The guy who constantly went out of his way to embarrass  
her. The guy who . . . who hadn't done *any* of these things since the  
accident.  
  
Serena stared up at him in awe. At him, the guy she couldn't stand, who -  
she suddenly realised with amazement - who she was in love with.  
Her love, who was staring at her now, with his eyes and soul so open and  
vulnerable it almost hurt to see him.  
  
"Darien, I . . ." Unconsciously, she wrapped her arms around his neck, his  
stormy eyes reaching right into her trembling heart.  
  
She must have mumbled something, though she had no idea what the words  
had been, and though she wasn't aware of it, Darien wasn't listening  
either. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know. He moved his hand  
from around her waist to behind her neck, and pulled her close. He bent  
down slowly, resting his face next to hers, the scent of her hair  
tingling in his nostrils . . .  
  
Then, slowly, their lips met.  
  
Serena simply melted. His body felt so warm, pressed hard against hers,  
his bangs lightly tickling her forehead, his hands gentle and his  
lips . . . his lips doing things she didn't dare think about. It made no  
sense - the Darien she knew had always been cold and aloof. She had never  
dreamed he could be so tender, so sensitive . . . and so passionate.  
Closing her eyes, she leaned willingly into the kiss, her own lips  
unconsciously doing wicked things to his sanity.  
  
Darien felt Serena respond to his kiss, and felt a heart rending joy.  
Here, in the arms of his Princess, for the first time in his life, he  
wasn't alone. How ironic, he thought dimly as he kissed her, that he had  
only found this joy when he had finally embraced his greatest enemy.  
  
The enemy called love.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Oh, isn't that sweet! And fluffy! I love a happy ending! Actually, I prefer an ending with some angst and gore... but never mind. Liked it? Hated it? Either way, remember to R/R!!  



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